1. The Present Invention
The present invention pertains to a tool for removing rings from fingers and in particular to a tool which spreads the ring and protects the finger as the ring is removed.
2. The Prior Art
Rings are perhaps one of the oldest forms of personal jewelry. They do present problems to the medical field when it becomes necessary to remove a ring from a swollen, lacerated, or otherwise damaged finger without creating additional trauma to the finger. It may be that the ring has become crushed against the finger or that the finger has sustained other damage requiring removal of the ring in order for the finger to be treated. It could also be that the finger has swollen, for any of a number of reasons, and it is now necessary to remove the ring.
Theretofor the rings have been cut by jeweler's saws and then the cut ends spread using available tools, such as needle nose pliers or hemastats. It will be readily appreciated that these tools are awkward to use and can, when they slip, result in further injury to the finger.
There are know devices for spreading bandages and the like for application to a finger. U.S. Pat. No. 2,844,146 is an example. However, these devices do not have the mechanical strength necessary to spread a ring. Known ring spreading tools, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 509,226 and 2,887,110, do not have means to protect a finger while moving a ring therealong.